Corona Devotionals

In high school and college, I was on the track and field team, and one of the events that I enjoyed participating in was the 100 meter hurdles.   You start a race crouched down with your feet in "blocks", and then when the gun fires, you explode out to attack ten hurdles spaced-out along the straight-away.  In order to become better at the initial burst that begins a race, and to enhance stamina throughout the contest, we would regularly train by wearing a harness with elastic leads attached to it.  The athlete would attempt to (quickly) start, and then run robustly as far as they could...all the while having elastic ropes restraining them from moving or advancing freely.   We would do a few restrained starts, and then the harness would be released and we would do some (unfettered) starts from the blocks. Oh, the freedom and power  when we had been freed from the ropes and we could burst into motion without restriction!  I remember feeling like we...

The other night I vacuumed, washed my floors, and cleaned out two (disgusting) sink drains that had clogged over time.  I washed and folded and put away two loads of laundry and I scrubbed out/bleached my sink, bringing it back from a dingy gray to a bright white.   Yes!   There are few feelings more fulfilling for me than knowing parts of our home are thoroughly and (if even momentarily) clean.  The dirty laundry basket will refill, the floor will get scuffed (and sticky) again, and drains will clog... but not today .  Because they have all been cleaned and cleansed and purified recently. That's us, Friends in the Faith! When we accept Jesus into our hearts, we are cleansed  of our sins and impurities.  What was once dirty and sinful in us becomes clean and pure  in us, because of Jesus. So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”  ~Acts 16:31 “Come now, let us settle the matter,...

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.  ~Psalm 34:7 It is interesting, fascinating...wild even--to consider the brushes that we have with danger or with evil, or with things that we do not want to have brushes with.  And many times they occur, and we have no idea how close we have come to something unpleasant, or worse... and yet we were untouched. But, I testify today to the strength and the protection of the umbrella of our Lord that we stand under as His children.  (And that we sometimes huddle under), but either way, we are under his covering. God is our refuge and strength,  an ever-present help in trouble.  ~Psalm 46:1  We have a mousetrap in our garage. Not because we have mice, but because I never want mice. I look to that trap every day just to be sure it's still empty. But what I saw the other day gave me the chills, and I still can't really explain why (because I can't fully identify the culprit)....

I've been scrapbooking this week: want to see? But, not exactly traditional scrapbooking--with pictures...we have been Scriptural- scrapbooking and spiritual- scrapbooking this week.  If traditional scrapbooking is pasting pictures and momentos together on a page, then Scriptural and spiritual scrapbooking is piecing together Bible reading (and application) with our life events, and pasting them onto our hearts.   Want to see? ~~~ One day, on the drive to a soccer practice with a car-full of kids, we had one of the young adults read Zechariah Chapter 1 , and we then discussed (together!) God's desire for us to return to Him, and to  turn from our evil ways and our  evil practices.    There will always be those who are not  turning to God, but (one day at a time!), can we read God's Word and obey God's Word and be among those who DO what it says? “The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. ( 3) Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord...